Majjie's Blog

For those of you who like the look and feel of ceramic ... but don't want to go the whole hog and fit a Belfast or Farmhouse sink ... Carron Phoenix have introduced a couple of new ceramic sinks which can be undermounted or inset into the worktop.

The Waterford has two bowls which can be fitted individually, or together. The larger one is, I think, 475mm x 450mm and a generous 200mm deep, whilst the small one may be 475mm x 250mm and 155mm deep (see below).

It's all too rare that I go and visit the kitchens that I've designed. I really must try and get round to see a few more. The trouble is, they're often spread out over quite a wide area of the country, and visiting would hold up the current plans in progress.

Yesterday was an exception, though ... and many thanks to Andy and April for their hospitality. I'm glad to say they seemed very pleased with the end result. I thought it looked good too.

Second Nature kitchens are available nationwide and their inset framed styles, introduced only in 2007, have apparently proved to be very popular.

Inset framed kitchens exude a look of quality. All the doors are inset into narrow frames ... a look which is typical of very upmarket, bespoke kitchens and which gives a look of proper furniture, rather than modular units.

Talking about rants ... I've also stuck my neck out, recently, on Tim Foley's "kitchensfitted" forums.

It's mostly a site providing useful kitchen-related information and products to members of the public. Recently, though, a heated discussion has started about whether, or not, kitchen fitters should join a professional organisation.

I've been having a rant. Surprised huh? It has to be said that the one thing the internet is brilliant for ... is having a rant. And I don't mean trolling, or flaming, or arguing ... I just mean expressing an opinion. This particular rant was on a trade site and I was complaining about the lack of information provided by appliance manufacturers on their web sites.

Electrolux will be ninety years old next year and to celebrate, they're looking for 90 Electrolux customers who've had a thrilling moment in their kitchens.

If you send them a photo and a description of your "moment" then you could become one of their "Kitchen Stars" and feature in an on-line gallery, a photo exhibition and a book (they'll come and take some professional photos - so don't worry if your efforts are a bit wobbly and out of focus). The 90 Stars will also receive an Electrolux ErgoRapido cleaner (it's like a very posh dustbuster on a stick).

The cost of fitting a kitchen has risen quite a bit in recent years - partly because of the increased regulations around electrical installations. (Don't get me wrong ... I think electrical safety is very important ... but there's no doubting that prices have risen).

If you're trying to renew your kitchen on a tight budget, then it could make a lot of sense to do what's known as the "dry" fitting yourself ... just getting in highly paid experts to do the electrical and the plumbing work
(certainly for any gas connections - and maybe also for the water).

Virtually every kitchen supplier in the country uses the word “shaker” to describe one or more of their kitchen ranges. But what does it mean exactly? Most of us will have heard of Shaker style but where did the term come from, and has it retained the original meaning, in terms of kitchen units? I don’t think it has ... but a kitchen which includes some Shaker styling is certainly worth considering.

Who Were the Shakers?

Yes, I know - I'm biased on this subject - but it makes so much sense to me. I can't understand why you ... the great UK, kitchen buying public ... aren't clamouring for more indpependent kitchen designers!

Independent designers:

* are NOT trying to sell you a kitchen - they just want to design you the best kitchen for your space and budget
* can charge less than a kitchen showroom for the design - because they get paid for every one - it's just that you don't "see" the charge from a showroom

You can skip this if you're not interested in receiving my quarterly newsletters ... or if you're receiving them and you're quite happy!

In addition to me being a bit out of the loop for a month or so - we've also had a few technical problems with the newsletter. I'm hoping they're all sorted now (thanks Simon) and those of you who wanted to receive one - have.